My Original Family

A Map of Moments

Nothing was said the entire drive to Arkansas and as our black SUV sped down the driveway, I didn't let Nik have a chance to park before I jumped out of the car and sprinted towards the house. I froze at the sight of Elijah holding Katherine and Nikolas standing between Bekah and Elijah. I smiled at the picture of them all together as tears filled my eyes. I didn't see the smiles on their faces as Elijah moved to me and I was joined by Nik and Hayley. Elijah handed Katherine to me and I couldn't contain my tears any longer.

"Hi baby girl!" I said hugging her close to me. Bekah pushed Nikolas to us and Nik picked him up and wrapped an arm around my shoulders as we shared our second family hug. "Hey sweetheart." I said to Nikolas placing my hand on his cheek smiling. Katherine cooed happily making my smile grow and I laughed and cried lightly. Hayley soon joined Elijah and Bekah looking at us happily before we discussed what we'd learned.

"Curse on the first-born girl?" Bekah asked. "What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, according to Finn, our sister Freya didn't die of plague. She was taken as payment by our aunt Dahlia, who then cursed all Mikaelson first-born girls for eternity." Nik explained.

"Is any of this true?" Hayley asked looking us over worried. Nik and I had yet to let go of our children and stayed close together as though something was going to try and rip them from us and us from each other.

"It is if we are to believe Finn, who learned it from the bastion of truth— our mother." Elijah told her.

"Well, no wonder Finn hates us. He lost the sister he adored, and instead got a judgy pack of siblings who found him unbearably dull." Bekah said.

"Well you aren't wrong." I told her. "Is there any chance of us running into your lovely aunt Dahlia any time soon?"

"The fable's over a thousand years old. Dahlia is long dead." Elijah pointed out.

"...Like Esther?" Hayley asked him.

"If Dahlia put a curse on every first-born daughter in the Mikaelson clan you can be sure she probably found a way to stick around and collect." I added.

"No one's going to hurt Katherine, because no one's going to find her." Nik insisted looking down at our daughter. "There's enough wood, Rebekah. You'll burn down the whole bloody state of Arkansas." He told her as she continued to rearrange the wood for a bonfire. She rubbed her hands together excitedly as she returned to where we all stood.

"Well, we're just missing a key ingredient!" she told us.

"No, we're not." Nik sighed and I looked at them curiously.

"Yes, we are, Nik! Back me up, Elijah!" Bekah ordered making her eldest brother laugh.

"I suspect Niklaus would rather choke on the ashes." Elijah told her.

"Now I have to know." I demanded with a smile on my face.

"Yea, what are you talking about?" Hayley asked.

"Well, before we light it, we write down our wishes for each other to burn for luck! It was Kol's favorite part when we were kids!" Bekah told us.

"It's further evidence as to why we should ignore it!" Nik insisted.

"Nikky?" Bekah asked me hopeful.

"We didn't do bonfire season with Nikolas and it's Katherine's first. I like it!" I told her smiling up at Nik. "We're doing it!" Hayley rushed inside for paper with a smile on her face as Bekah turned to her bothers smiling smugly. I laughed before we all headed inside with her.